Re: how do people play with different versions of DBSD on the same system?

[Bill Hacker <wbh@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Bob Bagwill wrote:

> On Sat, 24 Sep 2005 06:30:49 -0400, Erik Wikström 
> <erik-wikstrom@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > > When superVFS is in place, would we be able to have a /release,
> > > /preview, /development, and mount them over / at boot-time?
> >
> >
> > Would it not be easier to install one instance of each and use the same
> > /home for all of them, that would probably work even for multiple BSDs.

Sometimes.

But mail services, to name one, often use /home, and never for 100% of 
what they read and write.

Best if each OS install is fully self-contained, shares only 'non-OS 
sensitive' app/data storage.

True of CP/M 1.X & 2X, MPM, CCP/M, DOS, OS/2, and so on as well...... ;-)

Give 'em their own toybox.

> My impression is (correct me if I'm wrong) that the main differences 
> between
> DEVELOPMENT, PREVIEW, and RELEASE are in the kernel, libraries, and 
> toolchain,
> in that order.  Userland changes are pretty minor. Having to download, 
> build,
> rebuild, configure, reconfigure the other 95% is a pain.

Perhaps so, but a highly 'automated' pain.  Start the cvsup and make 
scripts, go relax.

The alternative is too often trying to locate what unexpectedly changed 
off in some seldom-visited corner...
and will change again, differently, next cycle.

Any 'modern' OS is too big to keep the whole thing in view, and space is 
cheap.

YMMV,

Bill Hacker